Editorial 2.14.14: No more excuses for low athletic turnout

For this week’s editorial, we weren’t inspired by something we saw firsthand but by a letter to the editor.
Pegi Meyer began working at Bradley in 1984, and served as the director of the Michel Student Center for 18 years before retiring in 2005. She had 10 to 15 students working with her at all times and still keeps in touch with many of them. She expressed how much she loved working with and seeing students at Bradley, including sporting events.
Meyer brought to our attention that there were about 15 students total, not including the basketball band, at the men’s basketball game versus Evansville on Sunday, which she said was “so very sad” to her.
We have to agree.
But before we jump into another spiel about student apathy, we have to make clear that Meyer’s letter applies to us as well, since most of The Scout staff did not attend the basketball game on Sunday, either.
What’s happened to our sports enthusiasm? That’s not just a question for us a newspaper staff, but for us as students at Bradley University.
Why is it such a chore to bring ourselves to sporting events, whether it’s a men’s basketball game Downtown, a women’s basketball game in the Renaissance Coliseum or even intramural events at Markin Recreation Center?
It could be that we’re lazy. It’s somewhat inconvenient to take a bus to men’s basketball games, even though it picks up students right in front of the Student Center and drops them off right in front of the Civic Center.
Maybe it’s because we’re broke. Which makes sense because we’re paying for tuition and books and rent, despite the fact that the only Bradley team that charges admission (men’s basketball) is just $1.
It could be that we’re busy. We are college students, after all, even if we spend our free time filling out Buzzfeed quizzes instead of supporting our athletic teams.
Do you get the point we’re trying to make?
There really isn’t any excuse for the low – embarrassingly low – turnout at any of these sporting events. We realize we’re lazy, broke and busy, but taking two hours out of a Sunday afternoon and letting go of a dollar isn’t asking too much, is it?
As Meyer explained in her letter, the men’s basketball team isn’t playing phenomenally this season. But that’s OK. Because if students attend games and support the team, the team could, in turn, play better. It will create a better atmosphere, and it’s part of the college experience.
There are some important games coming up for men’s basketball. The Braves will travel to Illinois State Saturday, which is just down the road. The new gargoyle mascot will be revealed at the Civic Center during the Feb. 22 game against Loyola.
And Bradley will host Wichita State Feb. 25, one of two unbeaten college teams in the country, which means we’ll get air time on ESPN2.
We understand sports may not be your thing, or that you need your Netflix marathon binge every once in a while. But it’s time to stop making excuses. Our athletic teams need student support. We’re ready and up for the challenge.